A Touch of Magic
by x1392x
Summary: The Elders send the Charmed ones to find and protect an innocent using a mysterious potion. The girls quickly discover the innocent has gifts of their own, and may even be more powerful than they are. They all must work together to save one another and overcome perhaps the most powerful evil the girls have ever encountered. Will the good guys come out on top?
1. chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from CHARMED or SMALLVILLE, just written for fun and for the love of both shows. ;)

"Are you guys sure about this? I don't like not knowing what we're up against" Piper says, sharing her concern with her sisters.

"That is the story of our lives, Piper. We never know what were up against" Paige reminds her.

"Yes, but the Elders don't usually make house calls, or leave gifts with vague instructions" she said, indicating the flat, octagonal shaped object laying on the table in front of them.

"Look, the only other time they have given us something, the world temporarily lost all magic. They don't intervene unless absolutely necessary. Doesn't that worry the two of you?" She asked, unable to block out the uneasiness building up in the pit of her stomach.

"Sure it does" Phoebe agreed. "But we can't ignore this, Piper. Especially since the Elders came to us directly. We have to find the person this belongs to and protect them." She adds, picking up the octagon shaped mystery object to examine it again. There are strange symbols engraved on three of the eight sides. The girls looked through the Book of Shadows twice and did not find anything that even closely resembled them.

Phoebe hoped to get a premonition from the object, but that proved to be just as unsuccessful as using it to scry for its owner or casting the lost and found spell.

After a few moments, Piper let out a long, heavy sigh and reluctantly placed one of the potion vials in front of each of them. "Obviously, they knew we would have to use this. Let's get this over with."

The sisters uncork and ingest the unknown contents of the crimson colored potion. Seconds later, the attic is empty other than a faint swirl of residual smoke from their exit.

All three of them were somewhat shocked when they materialized.

"The underworld?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, that explains why scrying didn't work" Paige answered.

"...and my bad feeling" Piper adds, looking around to make sure they are alone and out of harms way, which they appear to be for now.

The underworld is enemy territory; home to all kinds of upper level demons, including the Source of all evil. A run in with him could be fatal and he could be lurking around any corner. Numerous threats exist here and it's their territory. It is difficult navigating the vast, dark, maze-like structure of demon central. It is all but impossible for outsiders to find their way around because everything looks the same.

Cleary, the innocent is not in close proximity. They will have to be extremely cautious.

The sisters do their best to move quickly but with stealth. They move in a single file line, sticking close to the rock wall to remain hidden in the shadows of what little light exists. Their best chance at finding the innocent and getting out unscathed it's to ensure no one recognizes them. An encounter with any demon would be bad news; they would surely try to kill them or at the very least alert the Source of their presence.

They searched the surrounding areas with no luck.

"Any ideas on how to find this person? I thought the potion was supposed to take us directly to them?" Phoebe whispered.

"You could try to use your empath abilities" Piper suggests. "See if you can sense anything nearby."

Phoebe takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, attempting to clear her mind. Their powers do not operate at full strength here. Another major disadvantage.

"Nothing", she tells them, disappointed.

"Let's keep moving and you keep trying" Paige says encouragingly. "It's not like we have a lot of options."

Endlessly winding around corner after corner, the sisters could have sworn they were walking in circles. They haven't seen another being good or evil since they arrived.

"You know", Paige began. "I think the Elders know more than they're sharing."

"You think?" Piper said sarcastically.

"Well, first of all, where did they get the potion? It couldn't have been made to bring us straight to the innocent if they didn't know something about what were dealing with."

"I just want to say that technically, it didn't take us straight to the innocent." Phoebe added.

Paige rolled her eyes.

"That is not the point. Seriously, think about it. The "to call a lost witch" spell calls for a drop of blood to make the pull of magic stronger and more specific, right? This has to be similar. They had to know something about the innocent in order for the potion to even theoretically work." She explained.

"It makes sense" Piper agreed.

"But what difference does it make?" Phoebe asked, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was tailing them from behind.

"I haven't figured that out yet. I just get the feeling they left out a big chunk of information."

"If we don't find the innocent soon we should go to magic school and have another little chat with them." Piper added.

Just as the sisters were about to orb to magic school and embark on their plan B, they heard voices not too far off in the distance. The muffled conversation became more clear as they advanced futher into the depths of hell.

"I told you, I've never seen that before!" A male voice boomed.

"You're lying! This is your last chance. Where are they storing the meteor rocks?", a female voice demanded.

"I don't know! I swear!"

"Wrong answer." The female said calmly.

Piper peered around the next corner just in time to see the woman slam the man to the ground with enough force to turn solid concrete to rubble. And she only used one hand to do it.

The blow instantly took his life; he burst into flames and was nothing more than a pile of ash in less than one second. Piper wasn't sure she would have been able to freeze them if she had tried. She has never seen anyone have such strength or be able to move so quickly, which only amplified her unease.

"Friend or foe?" Piper asked quietly, taking a step back to remain out of sight.

"I don't know" Phoebe admits. "All I can sense from her is... courage. And a lot of it."

"Do you think she's our innocent?" Paige asked.

"It certainly does not look like she needs any help" Piper said.

"There's only one way to find out." Paige said before her body transformed into bright blue orbs of light. She orbed back in about ten feet away from the unknown woman. Piper and Phoebe stepped out from behind the rock foundation, positioning themselves behind Paige and the woman.

The girl stopped dead in her tracks when Paige appeared, but only for a second.

Then, the woman plowed into Paige, sending her hurling toward the rock wall. Paige managed to Orb just before slamming into it.

"Hey!" Piper shouted, putting her hands up to freeze as she made her presence known to the woman. And it's a good thing she did.

"Oh. My. God." Phoebe says, plucking the knife out of mid-air, which was less than a centimeter away from the tip of Piper's nose. The girl looked surprised. And she was not frozen.

As soon as Phoebe wrapped her fingers around the handle of the weapon, she received a premonition.

It only lasted a few seconds, but once it ended she was relieved to see that Paige had orbed in beside them and wasn't badly injured. She was also relieved to see the girl with super speed hadn't already taken off.

"What did you see?" Piper said.

Phoebe looked from her sisters, to the girl, and back again; unsure of whether or not they should be having this conversation privately.

"I saw her". She said, indicating the woman who just single handedly killed a demon. "And I saw a man. About the same age. Dark hair. Trapped in a glowing green cage." She paused for a moment and looked toward the stranger. "The cage stopped glowing and a demon threw a fireball at your back. It killed you."

The girl let zero emotion shine through to her facial features. Her hazel eyes revealed nothing as she stood there, watching them. Phoebe was frustrated that she couldn't sense much from her. You would think someone who just found out they are going to die would show or feel a little emotion, Phoebe thought.

"How do you know all of that?" The girl asked finally, tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder.

"How did you nearly cause an earthquake with one hand?" Piper fired back.

"Fair enough". The girl replied. "But I don't have time for introductions and explanations. I'm looking for the man you saw trapped in the cage. Do you know where it is?"

Phoebe shook her head. "No. But it's down here somewhere."

Trusting her gut instinct, Phoebe took the octagon shaped object out of her back pocket and held it up for the woman to see. A combination of worry and confusion spread across her face.

"Where did you get that?"

"Does it belong to you?" Paige asked.

"No. It belongs to Clark."

"And Clark is the man you're looking for?"

She didn't speak but nodded slowly.

"Look, I don't know who you people are, why you have that, or if I should trust you but I'm running out of time", she says, desperation making itself visible in her demeanor. "The glowing green stuff will kill him."

"I think we're supposed to help each other", Phoebe concludes. "My name is Phoebe, and these are my sister's Paige and Piper. We're known as the charmed ones and--".

"Wait" the woman interrupts. "As in the Warren line of witches?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes. And we were sent to find and protect the owner of this", Phoebe said, once again holding up the strange object with the symbols on it.

"Then we better get to it. I'll take any help I can get. My name is Lana. Lana Lang." She said, finally introducing herself.


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out that Lana is a decendant of a witch as well, which explains why Piper's freezing power had no effect on her. She shared her experience of being possessed by the Countess, Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, and that she learned about witchcraft and the charmed line of witches while researching her own ancestry.

When the sisters asked about her super strength and speed, all she said was that it isn't magic related.

This puzzled the sisters but they didn't push her to elaborate on it, figuring she would tell them in her own time. Besides, they need to focus on using their combined knowledge to find Clark. Phoebe could sense the anxiety level rising within Lana. She could literally feel the palpitations in her chest, as if it were her own heart racing. Even though none of them are willing to say it out loud, they are all worried.

"So, how did you get here?" Piper asked, attempting to put all of the pieces together.

"That's a long story. But the condensed version is, I've been keeping tabs on an old... friend. Everyone thought he was dead, but I had reason to believe he wasn't. I got an anonymous tip, which ultimately lead me to believe he was involved with dark magic. I seduced the first demon I found and killed them once they brought me here. And I've been laying low, blending in, and gathering information since. I wasn't even sure I was on the right track until I saw Clark in that cage."

Lana paused for a moment to take a breath and Phoebe was rocked with a wave of pain. Heart ache.

"I tried to get to him, but he vanished into thin air." She continued, doing her best to keep her voice steady and her tears at bay even though she is on the verge of having a panic attack. "I've been searching for him since."

"It's ok honey, we will find him." Paige says, trying to comfort her. "Don't give up just yet."

"We need to do it now." She says urgently. "Were running out of time!" She exclaims, a single tear falling down her olive toned cheek.

That's when she heard it. She came to an abrupt halt. Chanting. So quiet, it almost didn't register. The noise was nothing more than a low hum until she tuned everything else out and used her super hearing to zero in on the sound. It's coming from behind them. Hope swelled within Lana, and Phoebe too, judging by the confused look on her face.

"We need to turn around!"

"What? How do you know?!" Paige questioned, surprised .

"I heard something. Trust me."

"I didn't hear anything." Piper protested but it was too late. Lana had already taken off, moving so fast she was nothing more than a blur.

"Damn it!" Piper cursed.

"Orb! Orb!", Phoebe instructed, grabbing onto Paige so that she could tag along for the ride. Piper did the same, knowing it was their only hope of keeping up.

Paige orbed them into choas. It took a minute to take in the whole scene.

Immediately. Phoebe was sent to her knees, completely taken over by her empath power. Physical pain ripped through her entire body, crippling her.

Piper ducked an energy ball and retaliated by blowing the arm off of the demon that threw it. She vanquished him with a second hit.

Paige used her power to deflect an energy ball away from Phoebe and back at the demon, and then watched in amazement as Lana grabbed onto the bars of the cage and the glowing green substance disappeared. She sucked it out somehow.

Clark was lying on his back, close enough she could reach in and touch him. She pushed his dark hair back off of his forehead. "I'm sorry, Clark. I love you", she whispered to him. She lingered for just a moment longer which would have been her fatal mistake.

"Manor!" Paige said, sending Lana out of the underworld in a swaddle of orbs. The fireball that was meant to take her life hit the cage instead, knocking one side of it completely off which created an opening for Clark.

Distracted, Paige didn't notice another energy ball flying in her direction. She dove out of the way but it still managed to graze her left arm. The demon tried to finish the job by throwing a few more at her while she lay on the ground, defenseless. Clark sped over to sheild her, putting himself directly in the line of fire. "No!" Paige yelled as she saw what was happening, but there was nothing she could do. It was too late.

Demons were shimmering in faster than Piper could blast them. It's no wonder they didn't run into any until now, she thought.

Phoebe, no longer in excruciating pain and getting back on her feet, quickly jumped into action. She vanquished multiple demons by tapping into their own power and using it against them. She may not have an offensive power to rely on, but her defensive powers have saved her on numerous occasions. Together, Phoebe and Piper easily eliminated the remaining threats.

"We have to get out of here!" Paige said as the last demon went up in flames and took a one-way trip to the wasteland.

Her sisters turned their attention towards Paige and the innocent and noticed their injuries for the first time. Piper and Phoebe hustled over and each placed a hand on Paige, who was holding pressure to the gaping wound in Clark's torso. Once they were all physically connected by touch, she orbed all four of them to the living room of their home in San Francisco.

"Leo!" Paige yelled.

"Leo! We need some healing down here!"

Light blue fragments of light drifted down through the ceiling and Leo appeared in their wake.

"What happened?" He asked, alarmed. He knelt beside the sofa where Clark was lying unconscious, rapidly approaching death's door. Leo held his hands above the wounds on Clark's chest and focused all of his energy on the desire to help. A brilliant, golden ray of warmth and light came out of Leo's hands and shone into the wound until the skin was perfectly intact without so much as a scratch. Even the fabric of the shirt he was wearing had returned to it's former glory.

His pale and pasty pallor has returned to normal and he is starting to come around. Leo healed Paige's shoulder while getting a quick rundown of their underworld adventures, and then went to fetch the Book of Shadows for the sisters. They didn't want to leave the innocent alone. Paige offered to orb it down from the attic but Piper wouldn't allow it, reminding her that using magic for simple tasks is personal gain and they can't afford any unexpected consequences at the moment. Paige knew her sister was right, as usual, so there was no point in pushing the subject.

"What about Lana?" Piper asked.

"I orbed her here" Paige answered.

"I don't sense anyone else in the house." Phoebe told them.

Clark awoke in a panic. His blue eyes shot wide open. Unfamiliar with his surroundings and still on edge from being attacked and held against his will, he jumped up immediately. He went from laying down flat on his back to a standing position in the blink of an eye. The movement startled the sisters.

"It's okay! You're safe here." Phoebe assured him.

His tense shoulders relaxed slightly once he was sure there was no immediate danger, but his overall composure and Phoebe's power told her that he still wasn't sure he could trust them.

"My name is Phoebe Halliwell, and these are my sisters, Piper and Paige."

"Yeah, thank you, by the way, for saving my life back there." Paige said, genuinely.

"You're welcome" he replied. "But I don't understand what's happening. Where am I and how did I get here?"

"Well, you're in San Francisco and I brought you here so our whitelighter could heal you." Paige told him. "Those energy balls you leaped in front of to save me almost killed you."

His brow furrowed in confusion. Whitelighter? Energy balls? Healing? He doesn't have the slightest clue what they're talking about. And he was pretty sure he had heard Lana' s voice. He wanted to ask about that but didn't because of the small chance that it was nothing more than an auditory hallucination. Looking around, he notices that she isn't here now and he never actually saw her. Perhaps, it was just his mind trying to comfort him as his life was slowly slipping away.

Immediately, he thought of Lois and felt guilty. Sure, he misses Lana, but he reminded himself that is all in the past.

In fact, the last thing he remembered was falling asleep with Lois in his arms. Ambushed in the middle of the night, he was awakened by intense excruciating pain and had been tapped in the kryptonite cage since. It's a good thing they found him when they did or he would likely be dead by now. The agony he had been in kept him from seeing any faces or hearing any helpful details- like names or what they wanted with him.

Clark hated not having all the answers. Who did this to him and why? How did they know the effect green kryptonite has on him? Where is Lois? Is she safe? She could be dead right now and he wasn't there to save her... Suddenly overwhelmed, Clark sat down on the couch and massaged his temples, trying to prevent an oncoming stress headache.

Phoebe could literally feel his agony and worry. It was making her sick to her stomach.

Leo returned with the Book of Shadows. As he reached the bottom of the steps, a folded sheet of paper fell out of the Book and slid across the floor. Piper picked it up, as it came to rest beside her.

"To Clark" it read on the side facing up.

She picked it up and handed it to Clark.

He immediately recognized the handwriting. Perhaps he hadn't been hallucinating afterall.

You can't stop him without their help. Trust them. Stay safe. I miss you. ~LL

Short and sweet but not helpful at all, he thought.

"How do you know Lana?"

"Actually, we just met" Paige said, as she carefully but quickly flipped through the pages of their ancient, sacred book.

"Turns out we were all looking for you" Phoebe told him, as she took a seat on the sofa beside him. She placed the shiny octagonal object on the coffee table in front of them.

She immediately offered an explanation knowing that he would want one, and hoping to strengthen his trust. "Long story short, my sister's and I are witches. Good witches. And we were instructed to use our magic to find and protect the owner of this. Lana said it belongs to you."

He nodded slowly. "It does. Where did you get it?" He asked somewhat suspiciously.

The sisters did their best to explain their involvement up to this point, which wasn't easy considering he has little to no magical knowledge. They further explained their role in the world- to protect innocent people and vanquish various types of Evil. Demons, warlocks, evil witches. They told him about the Elders, explaining that they're a council of whitelighters that guide the entire good side of the magical community. They are the highest on the totem pole on the side of good and they were the ones who gave the orders to find and protect him. They shared every last detail, including the fact that the Elders didn't believe they would be able to find him without their potion.

The sisters don't know where they got the potion or the octagon shaped... whatever it is, and they told Clark it wasn't their place to ask. They drank the potion and it took them to the underworld where they found Lana and then eventually him as well.

Processing all of the information being thrown at him, he remained quiet for a moment, staring at the key on the table.

The nagging bad feeling Piper had earlier has yet to dissipate and impatience was getting the best of her.

"Now it's your turn. What can you tell us about what's going on?" Piper questioned.

"Not much", he admits. "I was sleeping when I was attacked. I didn't see anything and don't have any idea who it could be..."

He rubbed his fingers over the symbols that on the key. He noticed them watching and can tell they want more of an answer. He doesn't blame them. They just shared their secrets with him, but nonetheless, he can't help being overly cautious. Magic is the only thing that can hurt him besides kryptonite. They could hurt or even kill him, and apparently they kill frequently. How can they consider themselves good if they take the life of another living being? His stomach is twisting in knots. Lana wants him to trust them, he reminds himself.

"But obviously they know plenty about me. There are only two things on this planet that can hurt me. Magic and kryptonite." He says.

Confusion spread across the sister's faces. He lets out a deep sigh, knowing that there's no other option but to give in and tell them everything.

"Clark, isn't my real name. It's Kal-El. I'm from another planet called Krypton. My parents sent me to earth as our planet exploded and caused a meteorshower to hit in Smallville, Kansas. I was raised on a farm by two incredible human beings, and I use my abilities to help people. Just like you do." He says. "The meteor rocks that fell from the sky contain fragments of elements from my planet, called kryptonite. There are multiple kinds of kryptonite and they all have different effects on me."

He paused for a moment, knowing that his background is just as foreign to them as theirs is to him. Plus, all of them are looking at him like he ought to be locked up in a mental institution. He was surprised by this because of their involvement with the supernatural. He began second guessing whether or not he made the right decision by telling them the truth.

"Wait, you're an... alien?" Paige asked, needing clarification.

"Yes." He replied, giving them a few minutes to process the new informstion.

"Those symbols... they're--"

"Kryptonian." He answered before Piper could finish asking. "This is a key from the ship that brought me to earth".

Paige slowly closed the Book of Shadows, knowing that their ancient book of magic would not provide any answers this time. In fact, if they survive the coming threat, they will have to update their family heirloom.

Piper looked to Leo for useful information, but he had nothing. He agreed to confront the Elders; find out why they went over his head and what they know about this planet Clark claims to have come from.

"Call if you need me", Leo said just before planting a gentle kiss on Piper's lips. Seconds later he was gone.

"Very cool", Clark said, admiring Leo's orbing power.

"Super speed and super strength are pretty cool too", Paige replied.

Clark's boyish grin widened, revealing his sparkling white teeth. In combination with his dark hair, ice blue eyes, and prominent jaw line, Paige realized for the first time that he is quite handsome. She felt her face flush with embarrassment, and hoped he didn't notice.

That is, until she realized that maybe super strength and speed aren't his only gifts. What if he could read minds?

Her heart began racing and her cheeks were definitely a shade or two darker than the blush she applied this morning.

"Are those your only gifts?" She asked.

"I have advanced hearing capabilities, x-ray and heat vision, and I can stop a bullet with my bare hands."

"So you're semi indestructible?" Piper asked.

"Sort of" He replied.

While waiting for Leo to return, they exchanged as much information as possible. Though he was still reluctant, he told them of his weaknesses. He explained all different types of kryptonite.

The green will bring him to his knees with unbearable pain, making him completely vulnerable and will eventually kill him. The red alters his personality. It removes his sense of morality and his inhibitions, turning him into the worst possible version of himself. He explains that his behavior is highly unpredictable under the influence of red kryptonite and that he could become very dangerous.

Blue will temporarily inhibit his powers, making him all but human, including being susceptible to injury.

Being exposed to gold kryptonite would remove his powers permanently but it is very rare.

Black kryptonite separates his good side from his bad; his yin from his yang, resulting in two completely seperate beings, and last but not least, silver kryptonite induces extreme paranoia.

By the time he finished, Piper wished she had been taking notes. She could already feel a migraine ebbing at the base of her skull. How the hell are we supposed to protect him? She wondered. He certainly doesn't seem to need it. He's damn near invincible. This worried her. Whoever is targeting Clark knows about the green kryptonite, and if they know about one they likely know about all of them. Fear dug it's claws deep into Piper, refusing to loosen it's grip. Her sisters could see it written on her face.

"This feels like it's way out of our leauge." Phoebe admits.

"What are we supposed to do if they know about the red kryptonite? Or the black?" Piper asked. It's not like we would stand a chance against an evil you."

"Actually, you would stand a chance", he said, trying to calm her down. "I'm not immune to your magic."

She thought about this for a moment. He said he could stop a bullet with his hands, but the demons did almost kill him with their fire power.

Without warning she tested the theory and froze him.

"Well how about that", Piper said, almost cheerily. She felt a small sense of relief knowing they had some means of protection for themselves.

She waved her hand in Clark's direction. He unfroze and appeared to be disoriented as he noticed that Paige, who had been sitting in the chair across from him was now standing. He had been looking directly at her.

"Sorry, I had to check." Piper apologized.

Clark still doesn't fully understand the magic thing or what the Charmed ones are truly capable of, but if they are meant to protect him they must be pretty powerful.

Lana said to trust them- that he wouldn't be able to stop him without them. Him. The fact that he hadn't noticed the specific wording before troubled him and he checked the note again to be sure.

"Did Lana have any idea who was behind this?" Clark asked the sisters.

"She said she had been keeping an eye on an old friend. One you might think is dead."

Clark was quiet. There is not a doubt in his mind that Lana believes Lex is behind this, but that isn't possible. Is it?

"Would magic be able to bring someone back to life?" He asked.

"Well that's complicated", Paige informed him. "But, technically, yes."

Lex could be behind this. The reality of what is happening is finally starting to fall into place for Clark.

Lex was a huge threat to him when he was only human. If he's involved in dark magic things could get ugly. Everything adds up: Lana was there. She was in the underworld because she had a lead on Lex. She has been obsessed with monitoring his every move since she started the Isis foundation. It finally dawns on him that she must have absorbed the kryptonite from the cage he was being held in in the underworld. The sister witches were sent to protect him because they may be the only ones who can. His own abilities will be useless. He won't be able to protect himself or anyone else, and that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Piper had been worried about the red and black kryptonite earlier. He had dismissed her worries which he now regrets. Lex knows too much about him.

Phoebe felt nauseated from the immensity of Clark's emotions as he worked everything out in his mind.

"If Lana is right, were in trouble" he said finally.

Just then Leo orbed in with a concerned expression on his face and a old looking box in his hands.

Clark immediately noticed the box, furrowing his brow at the sight of it.

"What's that? Another gift?" Phoebe asked, taking it from Leo to look more closely.

However, it was no longer the box she was seeing.

A large, circular stained glass window, multiple computer screens, a petite girl with short blonde hair, and the spirit of a demon standing beside her.

And then she was back to reality.

She glanced down at the box and then looked up to meet the questioning eyes of her eldest sister Piper, who knew she had just had a premonition.

Phoebe shook her head slightly to indicate that she would explain later. Clark seemed oblivious to the fact that she had had a vision, and she wanted to keep it that way. He is already overwhelmed. There's no need to pile onto his anxiety until they can talk privately and figure out a plan.

Clark claimed the box is his, given to him by an old friend. It is made of lead. He explained that he used the box to store a green meteor rock at his home in case one of his loved ones ever needed to use it against him. He told the sisters that using green kryptonite may be the only way to stop him if he is under the influence of red kryptonite.

"There's more than one rock in there", Leo announced.

"I looked on the way down." He admitted.

"Do not open that box with me near it", Clark ordered.

"How many are there and what color?" He demanded.

"Four. Green, red, blue, and gold. The elders said they might be useful", Leo said to the sisters.

"Useful how?" Piper asked. "He's the innocent and everything inside that box is a threat to him."

"I don't know", Leo replied.

"Maybe they just wanted to warn us incase Clark didn't feel like sharing all the details." Paige offered.

"Maybe", Phoebe said, bringing herself to a standing position and heading off towards the kitchen with the box. She wanted to look inside for herself. She hoped her sisters would follow and they did, leaving Leo and Clark in the living room.

"Bad news you guys", Phoebe said as they entered the room. "I saw barbas. In the premonition I had out there."

"Are you sure?" Piper asked.

"Positive. Maybe that's how whoever is after Clark got close to him."

"That's not what you saw?" Paige asked curiously.

"No. All I saw was barbas, in spirit form, whispering in the ear of a girl with short blonde hair and a big stained glass window in the background. And a bunch of computer screens."

"Well great. None of that is really helpful", Paige added.

Phoebe nodded in agreement, though she remained somewhat hopeful. She would bet money that Clark knows the blonde woman. There isn't a lot of time to waste when someone's life is on the line, but they need to form a plan before going back into the living room.

"So what do you propose we do?" Paige asked, as if reading Phoebe's mind.

"If barbas is involved we have to be careful." Piper warned. "And were going to have to ask Clark about the woman. If he doesn't know her, we could try to find barbas." She suggests.

Phoebe massaged her forehead with her fingertips, trying to rub out the built up tension left over from Clark's emotions. Thank God Chris had found that empath blocking potion for her sisters. She would have kept herself locked in the attic for the rest of time. She thought she had gotten a handle on her empath power, but being in the same room with Clark is literally making her ill. It's like being hit from behind by a wave in the ocean. You're underwater being knocked around, fighting to get back to the surface for air, but then bam! Hit by another wave and the cycle repeats.

Clark has been hitting her with waves of fear, anger, and regret since he regained consciousness.

"I'm just not sure how much more he can handle" Phoebe informed them without admitting how much of a toll it's taking on her. She wondered if the intensity has something to do with the fact that he's not human.

"As always, we don't have a choice", Piper acknowledged.

Phoebe had been toying with the clasp on the lead box, unsure whether or not it's really safe to open it with Clark anywhere inside the house.

Leo had opened it but he wasn't in the house.

After careful deliberation, the girls decided they don't have enough knowledge and it isnt worth the risk. They hid the box in the basement and agreed that none of them would open it until it was rendered necessary.

"I won't let you to this!", Leo yelled from the living room.

The sisters exchanged looks of surprise.

"Get away from them! NO!!" Leo wailed.

The sisters rushed into the room to find Leo on his knees, sobbing, but the room otherwise empty.

Piper got down on her knees to come face to face with her husband.

"Leo" she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Leo, come on honey, it's me. Look at me."

But he didn't hear her. His mind is trapped in another place. A fictional reality based solely upon your greatest fear.

Though mostly unintelligible because of the sobs, he was saying something about Wyatt.

Piper continued trying to break through to him.

"Wyatt is safe at magic school. It's ok, it's not real. He's fine. Focus on my voice. It's not real. Wyatt is fine."

Only a couple of minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity as they stood around useless, watching Leo suffer, unable to free him from Barbas' grasp. Without a potion on hand to vanquish Barbas, Leo has to overcome his fear to come out of the episode.

Leo's mortal life ended back in World War II, so technically, Barbas cannot actually scare him to death like he could with any of the rest of them.

It was clear when he had returned to his right state of mind. Piper wrapped her arms around him and he melted into her, accepting her comforting embrace.

They've had enough encounters with Barbas that Leo didn't need to ask what happened.

Paige searched the house to find that Clark is gone. Did a demon take him? Did he leave on his own? The ship key that had been resting on the table is gone as well. They have no more potion, nothing to scry with, and no ideas. On top of that, they now have two innocents to save instead of one and no clue how to find either.

They aren't even at square one anymore. Feeling defeated already, Leo reminds them that giving up is not in their blood.


	3. Chapter 3

Clark sped from San Francisco to Metropolis in record time. He would have been pleased with himself if he weren't on a mission. Back at the home of the three witches, he had used his super hearing to eavesdrop on their private conversation.

Short blonde hair, stained glass window. The demon they referred to as Barbas is after Chloe. He had to get to watchtower and he knew the sister's would have tried to stop him or tag along. He wanted neither of those things, so he took off as soon as Leo turned his back without the slightest clue as to what he would be up against if he encountered this demon. All he could focus on was Chloe. And Lois.

He was miles away before anyone was aware of his absence. Bolting into watchtower he found the place a mess. It's clear the demon had been here and there had been a struggle. Movement near the staircase grabbed his attention. Oliver took hold of the railing and pulled himself off of the floor. Clark scanned the rest of the room and finally spotted Chloe. She was on her side, facing away from him, unmoving.

Aside from his parents, Chloe knows more about him than anyone else. He should have expected that she would be targeted. He should have come here sooner.

Clark sped over to her, turning her onto her back to assess the situation. No major cuts or bruising. Strong pulse. But still unconscious.

"Chloe?" He asked "Can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Oliver, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked.

"I don't know." He replied.

At first glance, he looked okay. He refocused his attention to Chloe, who was starting to wake up.

She opened her eyes and smiled at Clark.

"Chloe, thank god." He said, embracing her for a hug.

He pulled away and her smile quickly faded.

"Am I Chloe?" She asked, her eyes searching his for answers.

Clark didn't speak, trying to figure out whether or not she was joking. He quickly realized it was no joke.

He looked at Oliver and realized that he wore an expression which matched Chloe's. One you might see on a young child that was separated from their mother in the grocery store. Lost. Panicked. Helpless.

Suddenly, Clark was feeling all of those things as well. He had underestimated this demon. It never crossed his mind that one would be able to completely wipe someone's memories. He has underestimated a lot lately, causing him to make a lot of wrong choices. He now wishes the sisters had come along. Even if he doesn't trust them, their paths have crossed for a reason.

The gods intervened to make sure they found each other and he needs to step back and let them take the wheel, he concluded.

Since neither Chloe or Oliver know who they are or what year it is, it was easy to convince them to go on a road trip, promising he knew people that could help them. He considered throwing both of them over his shoulder and super speeding back, but didn't want to frighten them or risk someone seeing them. So they loaded up in Clark's Toyota tundra and headed for San Francisco.

He spent half of the ride telling Chloe and Oliver as much as he could about their lives. Experiences they've had, things they like and don't like. Anything that might trigger their memory but it wasn't working. It may have actually done more harm than good as they both become very agitated. Oliver worked himself up so much that he started to hyperventilate. After unsuccessfully attempting to calm them, Clark ended up pulling over on the side of the road and giving them a light thump on the forehead. With his super strength, a flick on the head is enough to knock them out.

The other half of the ride he spent coming up with a decent apology for running out without a word and praying the sisters would be able to reverse the damage that's been done to two of his very good friends.

He badly wanted to call Lois but refrained from doing so just yet, thinking that it might not be safe to contact her. She had been asleep next to him when he was taken to the underworld. If the demons weren't interested in her before, he'd rather not give them any reason to be now. He hoped she was at the daily planet, burying herself in the next big story, safe and sound.


End file.
